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20 Sep 2012

BirdLife’s work with the Convention on Biological Diversity

By Adrian Long

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) entered into force in 1993, the year BirdLife International was created from the foundations laid by the International Council for Bird Preservation. BirdLife and the CBD have much in common: both are committed to the conservation of biodiversity in the context of sustainable development. BirdLife works with the CBD through the Conference of the Parties, the scientific and technical advisory body, and the CBD Secretariat. Because birds are excellent indicators for the status and trends of biodiversity, BirdLife‘s data on threatened species, Important Bird Areas and Endemic Bird Areas are of major significance for the implementation of the Convention, and in 2003 BirdLife became an International Thematic Focal Point to the CBD’s Clearing-House mechanism. Many BirdLife Partners have contributed to the development and the implementation of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), the main mechanism for implementing the CBD nationally, based on the global Strategic Plan framework. Some Partners have developed action plans for threatened species which are part of the NBSAP. In other countries, Important Bird Areas form part of the network of important sites for biodiversity identified under the NBSAPs. BirdLife and the Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat signed in 2010 a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation on issues of common interest. The agreement was an expression of the desire of BirdLife and the CBD Secretariat to enhance their cooperation especially in the light of the adoption of the Strategic Plan for the Convention 2011-2020 and the ‘Aichi Targets’ during the 10th Conference of the Parties to the CBD which took place in Nagoya, October 2010. Get PDFs of BirdLife publications for CBD More free BirdLife reports